Dr. Temple Grandin at ‘Summit of the Horse’

By {ga=terri-mason}and posted onNovember 17, 2010

DR. TEMPLE GRANDIN CONFIRMS ATTENDANCE TO SPEAK AT THE UNITED HORSEMEN’S FIRST ‘SUMMIT OF THE HORSE’ EVENT Dr. Temple Grandin, one of Time Magazine’s 2010 most influential people, recently confirmed to speak amongst other national presenters at the Summit of the Horse event Jan. 3-6, 2011 in Las Vegas at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa. According to Representative Sue Wallis of Wyoming who is the Vice President of United Horsemen, a 501(c)(3) educational and charitable organization that implements humane and realistic solutions to the excess horse problem, Grandin will address the issue of humane handling of horses during the four-day event. Grandin also recently was the focus of a semi-biographical 2010 HBO film, Temple Grandin, starring Claire Danes that was nominated for 15 Emmy categories and received five awards. Wallis says while Grandin now may be recognized as a worldwide celebrity, she continues to be a representative of all of who have spent their lives in animal agriculture. “Temple is unequivocally honest and logical in her explanations of the necessity of animal science and livestock production,” Wallis says. “Her lack of bias in addressing the issues provides a common- sense understanding for anyone to grasp the positive movement we see in the future development of the humane handling of horses and other livestock.” Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She obtained her B.A. at Franklin Pierce College and her M.S. in Animal Science at Arizona State University and PhD in Animal Science from the University of Illinois. Today she teaches courses on livestock behavior and facility design at Colorado State University and consults with the livestock industry on facility design, livestock handling and animal welfare. Dr. Grandin has appeared on 20/20, 48 Hours, CNN Larry King Live, PrimeTime Live, and the Today Show. She has been featured in People Magazine, New York Times, Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, Time Magazine, the New York Times book review, and Discover magazine. She has written more than 400 articles in both scientific journals and livestock periodicals on animal handling, welfare, and facility design. She is the author of Thinking in Pictures, Livestock Handling and Transport, Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals, and Humane Livestock Handling. Her books Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human made the New York Times best seller list. And Animals Make Us Human made the Canadian best seller list. Tracee Bentley of the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts, and one of the organizers of the event, says the Summit of the Horse event is an effort to gather horse men and women with federal, state, tribal, and private land resource managers, conservationists and ranchers in a forum to address concerns about the sustainability and health of land; horses, both domestic and wild; native wildlife and the horseback culture and economy. “The Summit comes from the perspective of experienced horse people who have the best interest of the horse at heart and seeks unification of our country’s horsemen and horsewomen in promoting horse welfare and the health of the horse industry,” says Dave Duquette, President and Founder of United Horsemen. “We’re speaking with a unified voice for horses and horse people.” For more Summit event information, contact Sue Wallis at (307) 680-8515; Tracee Bentley, Colorado Association of Conservation District, (970) 412-3386; or visit the Summit of the Horse website at www.summitofthehorse.com.